1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of bags and trays used to transport handheld tools and other equipment to an elevated work site, and thereafter safely support them from the top surface of an A-frame ladder, a ladder rung, scaffold, and the like, in a convenient location for easy user access. The present invention is quickly attached to and released from a support structure via use of a clip on the distal end of a support band being inserted into a horizontally-extending slot in one of its own vertical walls or alternatively with its clip engaging the downwardly extending lip or edge of a horizontally-extending surface, such as an A-frame ladder top. The weight of the bag and its contents tightens the flexible support band to which the clip is attached, so that the clip cannot become disengaged until it is deliberately released. When clip release is desired, an upward force applied to a release handle attached near the proximal end of the support band slackens the support band and allows gravity to draw the clip away from its stronghold position. The present invention has a large and substantially rectangular interior space that is typically wider than the ladder to which it is attached and sufficient in size to carry at least one gallon of paint in combination with one or more handheld power tools, and/or various other tools, supplies, and equipment commonly used by painters, carpenters, professional window cleaners, homeowners, and/or others to perform work in high places that cannot be reached unassisted. It is desired for the present invention bag to be large enough to contain all of the equipment and supplies needed by a worker to complete his or her assigned tasks at elevation, to minimize the amount of repeated mounting and dismounting from the ladder, lift, scaffold, or other worker support structure that would otherwise be needed to retrieve forgotten and/or additional equipment and supplies. The bag is reinforced with at least one rigid brace and typically contains a shoulder strap for hands-free transport, however, optionally it may also have exterior pockets, interior pockets, temporary compartment dividers, and a removable water-resistant liner.
2. Description of the Related Art
People who frequently use ladders, lifts, and scaffold to perform work at elevation often find that they need to mount and dismount them many times in a day to obtain additional equipment and tools needed to complete their assigned tasks. Having to do this is time consuming an inefficient. Also, repeated climbing up and down ladders and scaffold tires a worker and over time can adversely affect some workers' leg muscles and knees. Most bags and trays currently used to support tools and equipment at elevation are too small to prevent frequent dismounts, not easily or rapidly secured and released at elevation, not adapted for secure transport and storage of power tools, not adapted to multiple types of elevation support, and/or not sufficiently rugged or durable for long-term use. In contrast, the present invention gives users sufficient storage space to consolidate in one place all of the hand tools, power tools, other equipment, and supplies needed to complete a designated work project at elevation, and then easily secure everything in a convenient, fixed, and out-of-the-way position if needed, while the work progresses. Quick attachment and release of the present invention from its secured position is also one of its advantages. Its flexible support band and clip make it adaptable to ladder steps, ladder rungs, and horizontally-extending bars, as well as to the top of a step ladder and other larger A-frame ladders. Further, the present invention has bracing that makes it rugged and maintains the bag's bottom surface in a substantially horizontally-extending position even when the interior space in the bag is not completely filled, allowing for more convenient access to the contents therein. In addition, its wide support band and clip allows it to be placed in a suspended position on the side of the ladder opposed to its user, or on the outside of a scaffold rail, as needed to place the present invention outside of the typically small and limited work area available at elevation. There is no device known for securing tools, supplies, and equipment to the top of a ladder, ladder rung, lift railing, or scaffold that has the same features and components as the present invention, nor all of its advantages.
Inventions performing functions similar to that of the present invention are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,260 to Katz (2002) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,304 to Stierle (2002). However, there are important structural and other differences between the Katz and Stierle inventions and the present invention, which distinguish the present invention therefrom, provide important advantages, and make it desirable to a user. The Katz invention discloses a tray that can be attached to the top of a step ladder using various clamping arrangements. However, it is not readily attachable to scaffold or to the rung of an extension ladder. In contrast, the present invention offers its users a faster and more simplified means of engagement and release from a ladder top and has equally fast means of engagement and release when used with extension ladders, scaffold, and lifts. Conversely, the Stierle invention discloses a tool bag configured for use with extension ladders and scaffolding, but which is not conveniently configured for connection to the top of a step ladder or taller A-frame ladder. The Stierle invention fits laterally between extension ladder rails and its smaller than the present invention, and would be unlikely to hold all of the tools and equipment needed by a professional carpenter, electrician, and/or painter at elevation. Also, the Stierle invention has side sleeves into which the top portion of the extension ladder rails can be inserted for rail support of its bag, in addition to a pair of hooks connected to the back of its soft fabric bag that is spaced to engage a ladder rung. The present invention is different from the Stierle invention in that it has a suspension/engagement means that can be quickly and conveniently secured to the top of a step ladder, and then promptly repositioned for support by the rung of an extension ladder, scaffold, or a lift, as well as other structures comprising horizontally extending railing or bars with a diameter dimension larger than that of a traditional extension ladder rung. The width dimension of the present invention bag is generally greater than the spaced-apart distance between the rails of the ladder to which it is attached, and since it has no side sleeves it can have outside pockets attached to its side surfaces to increase its storage capacity. Also, the present invention has a suspension/engagement means that does not limit its use to narrowly dimensioned rungs or rails. Thus, the present invention has important advantages over the Katz and Stierle inventions. There is no tool bag or other tool transport or carrying device presently known that has the same features and all of the advantages of the present invention.